Spatially structured eco-evolutionary dynamics in a host-pathogen interaction render isolated populations vulnerable to disease.

ABSTRACT: While the negative effects that pathogens have on their hosts are well-documented in humans and agricultural systems, direct evidence of pathogen-driven impacts in wild host populations is scarce and mixed. Here, to determine how the strength of pathogen-imposed selection depends on spatial structure, we analyze growth rates across approximately 4000 host populations of a perennial plant through time coupled with data on pathogen presence-absence. We find that infection decreases growth more in the isolated than well-connected host populations. Our inoculation study reveals isolated populations to be highly susceptible to disease while connected host populations support the highest levels of resistance diversity, regardless of their disease history. A spatial eco-evolutionary model predict

SUBMITTER: Hockerstedt L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9561709 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature